Sunday, March 10, 2013

Proposed Constitutional Amendment Targets DNR

A proposed Constitutional amendment in the Missouri House, HJR 33, would keep the state soil & parks tax, but the Missouri DNR would no longer administer the funds. The bill is being sponsored by State Rep. Robert Ross. If approved in the legislature, the measure would go before the voters in November 2014 or a special election called for that purpose. Instead, the soil & water portion of the tax would be administered by the Missouri Department of Agriculture. Funds for the Missouri Park System would be administered by the Missouri Department of Economic Development. It would not be a new tax; it would simply change the way that the current soil & parks tax is administered.

Over the past four years, the Missouri DNR has come under fire for critics for what they say is mismanagement. In May 2009, the Columbia Daily Tribune reported that the Missouri DNR let a beach by the Lake of the Ozarks remain open for two weeks after it was discovered that there were excessive levels of e coli bacteria present:

 State Park Beach No. 1 was allowed to remain open over a two-week period, including the Memorial Day holiday weekend, despite the discovery of samples showing dangerous levels of E. coli bacteria on May 18 and May 27. The beach was not closed until June 5, based on results collected June 1.

But, as the Tribune article reported, Mark Templeton, the director of the DNR at the time, was not suspended for that until September. The article quoted Senator Brad Lager:

Sen. Brad Lager, R-Savannah and chairman of the Senate committee investigating what happened, said Templeton and the DNR general counsel had tried to block the inquiry. Lager said his attempts to get Nixon’s attention about that issue had been unsuccessful.

“The one fact that we can all agree on is that the public’s trust has been violated and the public’s safety has been put at risk,” Lager said. “I am grateful that the governor has finally decided to join the committee’s efforts in getting to the truth surrounding this willful disregard for public safety, which placed countless Missourians at risk.”

The DNR's handling of a situation at the Bridgeton (MO) landfill also drew heat. The October 30, 2012 St. Louis Post Dispatch reported on "rising underground temperatures" and odor that generated complaints from residents that lived near the inactive Bridgeton Landfill. Temperatures reached as high as 190 degrees and had been ongoing since January 2011. On February 15th, the Post-Dispatch reported that the DNR found that it was not a health threat, a conclusion not bought by people. For instance, a letter to the editor in the February 20th Post-Dispatch stated:

Isn't it strange that the agency cannot monitor the leaking coal ash ponds in Labadie because there is no law, but can voluntarily monitor for odors? If only the coal ash ponds produced an odor. Then DNR could monitor the situation "for the public good." But just doing so because it is the right thing to do is out of the question. Pitiful selective posturing.

Posters in the Post-Dispatch's comment section were no more receptive to DNR's findings, citing the fact that one sample at the site tested positive for excessive levels of Benzene, a chemical known to cause cancer from long-term exposure.

On February 14 of this year, the Riverfront Times reported that human feces have been found in the drinking water at some Missouri state parks. The environmental group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility has asked for a federal review of drinking water at Missouri state parks, citing what they say is a failure to perform federally mandated testing as well as repeated problems with contamination. The complaint alleges that the DNR discovered a dozen such instances of contamination but failed to take any action.

The PEER alleges that the DNR retaliated against an employee who spoke out against the violations:

The PEER complaint was filed jointly with Patricia Ritchie, who for 19 years was the DNR public notice coordinator for safe drinking water compliance until she was separated from state service late last year. In 2002, Ms. Ritchie initially reported concerns of drinking water safety at Missouri state parks to the State Auditor. That office launched an investigation in 2003 and issued the report in 2004 confirming Ms. Ritchie's concerns. She has challenged her dismissal under the state whistleblower protection law. Her whistleblower case comes before the Administrative Hearing Commission later this month.

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